The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim often feels like a video game that capitalizes on martial combat, despite the fact that there are some significant pros to using Destruction magic (in addition to its cons). The province is dominated by traditionalist Nords who fear magic, associating it with the hated Thalmor, or the mistrustful wizards from the College of Winterhold. Skyrim’s best magic spells can easily be found in loot chests or bought from merchants rather than earned through leveling. Skill in Destruction has little bearing on the accessibility of spells, and this can make investing in the Destruction tree feel like a waste of perk points.
Of Skyrim’s six magical skill trees, Destruction magic is the most straightforward. As the mage’s go-to for dealing damage, Destruction spells hurl fire, frost, and lightning at enemies, and serve as a colorful way to vary up combat encounters. Projectile spells like Fireball or Ice Spike can be fired with one hand, striking enemies at range. Players can fire off these spells while still keeping a sword or shield in their other hand, addressing close and mid enemies in equal measure. A bow and arrow, by comparison, requires two hands, which leaves the Dragonborn vulnerable once enemies close the distance.
At higher levels, however, the output for Destruction magic hits a damage cap. While the same can be said of all Skyrim’s best character builds, the damage ceiling for Destruction spells is considerably lower. This is in part because it receives no benefit from sneak attack bonuses. Sneak attack bonuses do apply to attacks performed with one-handed weapons or with a bow and arrow, leaving Destruction spells with no such advantage. Similarly, Enchanting and Smithing can increase the damage of weapons, but again neither skill tree offers any bonus towards the damage potential of Destruction magic.
The Issue With Leveling Skyrim’s Destruction Skill
The only way to increase damage with Destruction spells is with consumable potions, specific Dragon Priest Masks from the Dragonborn DLC (Ahzidal, Dukaan, and Zahkriisos), or by slotting perk points into the Destruction skill tree. Of the 17 perk points that can be put into Destruction, Augmented Flames, Frost, and Shock are the three perks most responsible for increasing damage. With two points spent on each of these, players can achieve a 50% damage boost, which is significant when stacked with Dual Casting. Impact is also a useful perk, as it staggers targets, preventing them from closing the distance with dangerous melee attacks.
One of the major problems with the Destruction perks is that, as with all the magic skill trees in Skyrim, it places a higher priority on reducing the mana cost of its spells rather than increasing their damage or overall usefulness. The different strategic uses for fire, frost, and shock spells are what give depth to Destruction magic, and there are no perks associated with furthering their attributed bonuses or for negating their penalties. Undead enemies, for instance, are resistant to frost damage, and there are no perks to lessen that resistance. Perks to negate elemental damage do exist, but they instead fall under Skyrim's Alteration tree.
With Destruction magic, often the first spells that come to mind are projectile spells like Chain Lightning, Incinerate, or Ice Storm. While these are some of the go-to attacks for mage builds, Destruction magic is capable of much more. Runes, Cloak spells, and Wall spells all offer advantages when approaching a fight at a different angle. Skyrim players tend to fall into a rhythm, and this makes it easy to overlook these forms of spells. For a unique character build to refresh Skyrim, these lesser-used spell types are worth a reconsideration.
Runes, Cloak spells, and Wall spells all benefit from the Destruction tree’s three Augmented perks. If Frost Runes felt like they were never worth the trouble, for example, after their damage and range have been increased, players may find that they have considerably more usefulness. Wall of Fire might not be a great tool against a flying dragon, but against a crowd of Draugr Deathlords it can deal tremendous damage to multiple enemies at once.
Using Skyrim's Destruction Magic To Augment Hybrid Characters
In this regard, while Destruction magic may be the most essential skill tree for pure mage builds, hybrid characters may well benefit from it even more. Lightning Cloak is a great complement to melee combat, as it drains Magicka from close quarters enemies, preventing enemy mages from using spells to attack the Dragonborn or to heal themselves. An Illusionist Assassin build in Skyrim could use Destruction runes to sew chaos among enemies and lay traps for fleeing opponents.
Another factor to take into consideration is that Skyrim's fire, frost, and shock should not be invested in at the exclusion of the other two elements. Rather, each has its own specific uses. Destruction magic may not seem useful if the player is using fire magic against a Dunmer, or frost magic against a vampire. Depending on the build, different elements may be more suitable:
Warriors may find that lightning spells are better since they make it easier to combat enemy mages. Mages, by contrast, may lean towards frost spells since they weaken and slow Skyrim’s tanky warrior enemies. Fire is a good all-rounder since it does damage over time, but it’s particularly effective against Draugr. This makes it a good pick for aggressive spells to complement a Restoration-oriented paladin build. Of course, to really spice up Destruction magic, PC players can install the Elemental Destruction mod, which makes Skyrim feel like Avatar: The Last Airbender, adding air, earth, water spells to the game's Destruction tree.
Destruction Dual Casting and the three Augmented perks are definitely worth investing points into since they affect spell damage. Skyrim's level 100 Master Destruction perk, however, is probably not worth it, nor are any of the prerequisite perks. With high levels in Enchanting and enough gear outfitted with the Fortify Destruction enchantment, all spells in the Destruction school can cost as little as 0 magicka, obsoleting any perks for spell cost reduction. With these considerations, Destruction magic may be, oddly enough, one of the most balanced skill trees in Skyrim: It’s not overpowered on its own, but when combined with strong enchantments and the right perks, it can be a force to be reckoned with.